Today is my last working day after 38 years in the NHS.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this site, from the serious side to the banter.

This is an excellent site and needs to keep going and getting stronger. Maybe, just maybe, senior management may just lurk now and again and actual see just how many techies there are and what they can achieve.

I thank you all for you company during my lunch breaks and wish you all well.
Regards
Graham

All the Best, Graham.

But ... sorry Mate, that's no excuse for not continuing to log on and making the occasional post, you know ... especially now you'll have all that free time!

By the way, am I right in thinking that you're planning a relocation? Keep us updated, Mate. Also (and when you're ready), freelance work awaits!

Graham! What can I say?

Well, thanks for the kind words and for supporting the site over the years

I hope you have a great retirement and occasionally find time to stop by to share your knowledge.

Here's a cake we made just for you.

Yes Geoff, I will be moving home to Bryncethin to be close to my family and see my younger grandaughter in Cardiff. Then its a trip to Adelaide to see my other grandaughter.

Sure as eggs are eggs I will be logging on occasionaly or maybe just lurk to annoy Geoff.

Thats a lovely cake Huw. Looks as if your talents have been wasted on the techy stuff.

All the best Graham.

I'm sure you're leaving a lot of us green with envy.

Good luck and good health.

Bian

Best of Luck Graham

The Borders will be a sad place without you.

Regards
Alan

Hi Graham

It may have been a while since I "darken your door", but I always enjoyed my time servicing the defibs across the Borders and the crack with Eddy, the lads and you. I hope you have a long and happy retirement. Are you off back to Wales or are you staying in God's Country? Keep in touch.

Best regards

David M

Hope you enjoy your retirement.

38 years is a long time,

I salute you !



Best Wishes

Good luck in your retirement. Next year Scotland will beat Wales for a change. Come up for a pint and a chat. I'm sure Billy Hogg will bye you one or two.

DD

Good luck in your Retirement Graham.

I hope to see you logged in occasionally,

All the best,

John.

I recently had the good fortune to spend a month in Adelaide with my son and his family. We found the locals very helpful and exceptionally friendly. Not all resting, had to carry out some QA at some vineyards in McLaren Vale and the Borrossa Hills.
Spent 3 days in Singapore and came back last night. One thing that struck me was the difference in Adelaide, Singapore and the UK, was cleanliness. Heathrow was stinking in comparison, pavements over here are dirty with chewing gum and litter everywhere

Good to see you are enjoying retirement Graham.
Wouldn't mind doing some vineyard QA myself

Anyone who doesn't understand that "standards" in the UK don't tend towards those of the (so-called) Third World simply doesn't get out much!

I have seen the same effect in other countries; not to put too fine a point on things, "standards" fall to those of (what we might call) the common denominator.

On the other hand, Graham, had you travelled to certain other destinations which I could "recommend", things wouldn't have looked too bad (in comparison) upon your Happy Return to Good Old (once, anyway) Blighty!

You could "Recommend" other destinations Geoff? Oh come on now, I don't want to go to Manchester or Newcastle!

The point I was making was that Heathrow is the first thing that many travellers see when they fly into the UK and it does not create a good impression. Whereas, Adelaide and Singapore were spotless and everybody was so helpful and friendly and staff were well presented. Not a yellow bib in site.

Come on Heathrow, smarten up and get some mops out!

I couldn't agree more there, Graham.

But this is nothing new ... the UK has always appeared "down at heel", strewn with litter (not to mention chavs and all the rest), and generally in need of a lick of fresh paint. Who knows, maybe that's part of its "charm" that supposedly attracts so many tourists from overseas.

And as for "helpful and friendly" ... well, I guess that's asking a bit much of staff who can't speak English!

Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder why you haven't mentioned the armed police? Such a warm, comforting welcome, surely?

As I may have mentioned a couple of times in the past, if you look upon the UK as a Third World country, and expect the same level of "standards", then you won't be too disappointed. That's what I do!

And it's not likely to get any better now, is it? The "excuse" (for poor service, and all the rest) for at least the next five years will surely be:- "government cuts"!

Heathrow is supposed to be the one of the busiest airports in the world. The must be getting so much revenue from airport tax.

When you compare Heathrow to Changi in Singapore or Dubai International then they need to get their act together.

Surely the problem is an endemic one with the "English" race: "Look after Number One and sod the rest" attitude!!!

Actually, I disagree. I like to think of the English as dogged, decent, loyal, tolerant ... docile, even. Fair play. Law abiding.

Although I would support the view that such characteristics continue to be somewhat diluted; especially by the recent unsustainable levels of immigration by folk with seemingly no interest at all in adopting (what we might call) an English way of life.

The trait that you mention surely belongs with bankers, the money-men, the bean-counters and those who not so long ago were referred to as "Yuppies"!

Or perhaps you're getting the English confused with the so-called "British". Completely different tribes, in my book.

Geoff
Maybe 20 years ago your description of the English would have been true, however I think the younger generation are very selfish and have a totally different attitude with regard to fair play and being law abiding.
Maybe I'm getting too old and cynical but it definitely seems that things ain't what they used to be!!

I believe that our English way of life has been systematically destroyed over the last decade or so ... by the very people whom we pay to be custodians of it. That is (or, at least, was - I'm glad to say) the so-called government.

Why would they want to do that, you might ask. Try looking up "Common Purpose", for starters!

But what I really can't get my head around is how come all us True Englishmen stood aside and did nothing as our country (traditional values, and all the rest) was taken from us.

Also ... so-called "Women's Lib" has a lot to answer for, in my opinion. Now we have a generation of kids who don't know their fathers.

And I won't even mention "PC", 'Elf 'n' Safety, "Diversity", Yuman Rights ... and all the rest of that [censored].

Just in case you forgot, this is the Retirement thread.

Seems I escaped at just the right time. People in the NHS seem to be very downhearted the way things are going.
And yes John, I do log in from time to time. All one big happy international family on EBME.

... not to mention the rest of the population!

I can't imagine why folk working in the NHS should be especially downhearted. After all, they have all the possible benefits that those in the Public Sector are blessed with. What more could they want?

Meanwhile, the view from the darkest corners of the Dark Side doesn't look particularly rosy. And that's putting it mildly.

@Huw: yes - retirement. I only wish I could.

I do appreciate that this is a RETIREMENT thread but I just can not allow the above statement to pass without a comment.

HOW RIGHT YOU ARE GEOFF. It is all to do with "conventional wisdom" and how the liberal elite have succeeded in brainwashing those who hold influence in this once great country. Unfortunately those of us who were not brainwashed have held little influence.

Barney

We've had (and continue to have) zero influence, Barney.

But at least we are not traitors.

I was thinking to myself just the other day (as I was taking a stroll up across the fields) about how England might have been now ... if all that [censored] had not been allowed to happen.

The "liberal elite" (as you call them - I have alternative terminology available) mock the idea of "Little England". But personally I would wholeheartedly embrace the idea (as I always have). If it was good enough for my Great Grandfather ... and so on ... then it would certainly be good enough for me (and my own spoiled grand-kids, if only they knew what I was talking about, the daft sods).

Retirement? What's that? Folk such as myself shall need to keep struggling on until we croak. And what will it all have been for ... ?

But it all happened on our watch, Barney. How are we to explain that away?

I can only assume Huw their practicing for when they retire and become grumpy old men.

'ere young un things were better in my day

hmm, I wonder if I need to get out my off topic gifs?